Improvement in coal-oil lamps



1. H. IRWIN.

Coal Oil Lamp,

Patented May 6. `1862.

UNITED STATES PATENT EEICE.

l JOHN ll. IR WIN, OF BEARDQTOV'N, ILLINOIS.

lilPROVENlENT IN COAL-OIL. LAMPS..

trlpeeitlcaition forming part of Letters Patent No. 35,158, dated May 6, 1862.

To a/ZZ who/1t if A11m/:y concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN l'l. IRWIN, ot Beardstown, in the county otl Cass and State ot Illinois, have in vented a new an d Improved Lam p; and I do hereby declare that the following is a l'ull, clear, and exact description ot the same, rcl'crcncc being had to the acetunpanying drawings, nnihing a parli ot this specification, in whichA `l` `i iii'e l is ay \f' ^rtical central section ot' my invention, taken in the line ,r ir, Fig. 2; Fig. f2, a horizontal section ol the same, taken in the line 1/ y, Fig. l; lfig. Ii, a side view of anioditication olf my invention.

Similar letters ot reference indica-te corresponding parts in the several figures.

This invention relates to an improvement in that'class of lamps which are designed for burning coal-oils and other similar hydrocarbons which volatilize at a rather low teinperature and require an excess ot' oxygen to support proper combustion for illuminating purposes. 1i

Hydrocarbons ot' this class not only require an excess of oxygen to support; proper co1nbustion for the purpose specified, but they also require a uniiorm supply of 'it in order to prevent smoking or the escape of unconsumed carbtm-a contin gene y which invariably occurs trom quite slight disturbing causes-such, for instance, as the moving of the lamp from place to place, varialde drafts ot' air, the turning over ol newspapers or the leaves of books in the vicinity ol the lamp, dto. There is another di tticulty attending the burning or use of these hydrocarbons, and that is the lialiiility of: the lamp to smoke in consequence ot an unevenly-trimined wieka result arising troni the difficulty of trimming in a proper or even manner the horizontal top wicks, the corn 1-r or angles of the wick being very liable to project upward a trilie above its central position under the aetion of the trimming scissors or shears.

The above-named dil'iiculties, it is believed, are fully7 obviated by the within-described in vention; and to this end the invention con sists, rst, in having the burner of the lamp, or the draft-passages which communicate therewith, provided with partition-plates so arranged that horizontal or lateral currents of air below the flame ol the lamp are prevented, and, second, in having the upper end ot the wick-tube of rounded or ot' scalloped form, so as to avoid angles, the apex or top of the cone or detlcctor around its orifice or slot being ot corresl'ionding form.

To enable those skilled in the art to fully understand and construct my invention, I will proceed to describe it.

A, l*`igs. l and 2, represents the body or fountain oli' the lamp7 which is inelosed by a ease, l5, the latter extt-nding all around the body A and leaving a space, C, between it and A. This space `y is divided into any proper number ot' compartment-s, a', by partitiorrplates Z), which extend upward from the bottom c of the space nearly to its top,a.s shown in Fig. l.

D is the burner, which maybe constructed in the ordinary or in any proper way, and is fitted in the top of the body A ot the lamp. The burner is provided with a iiange, d, which tits over the top ot the case B when the burner is secured to the body A, and prevents air from entering directly into the burner in a horizontal direction. The case B is perforated with holes c, (see Fig. 9,) one for each compartment a.

E represents the wick-tube, which is of the ordinary fiat kind; and F is the cone or deflector. The upper eud of the wick-tube E rounded or made of semieircular form, (see4 Fig. 1,) and the upper part ot the cone F, around its slot or oriticef, is of correspond ing form. The lower part of the burner D is perforated with holes g, which form a comm u nicati on between the interior of the burner and the upper part of the space C.

From the above description it will be seen that the tlame of the lamp is supplied with air, which passes through the openings or holes e in the case B, and thence up through the compartments o into the burner D, through the perforations or holes g. The partition-plates h prevent a circulation of air laterally or horizontally through the space C when the lamp is moved about from place to place, and also when it is subjected to sudden gusts of air caused by various disturbing causes. A lateral or horizontal draft of air passing through the burner or underneath it checks at once the supply of air to the flame, and not only prevents a current of air passing up to the iiame, but rather induces a downward draft on the flame, and hence the flame will smoke. l\l y invention fully obviates this diiiculty; and l Would remark that in order to effect this result it is quite immaterial regards the position ol the partitionplates b, so long as they are placed in the draft-passages and present a perfect barrier to lateral or horizontal currci'its of air. For instance, the partition-plates may be placed within the burner l), as shown in Fig. S at 7)', and the same result attained, 'for in this latter case horizontal drafts below the flame are effectually prevented.

The lamp vand its case (shown in Figs. l and 2) are of conical form; but the invention is not con fined to that shape. Other forms of lamps may be used with myinveni ion applied to them.

ln consequence of having the upper end of the wick-tube of rounded or semicircular form, as shown, a greater burning-surface of' wick is obtained, and consequently a larger or broader flame produced,.and at the same time the wick (design ated by G) maybe evenly trimmed without di'liiculty, as all angles are avoided at the outer ends of the wick, andan ordinary pair o'l' scissors or shears maybe used for trimming it, the top ot' the wick, whea trimmed, corresponding in form, of course, to the top of the Wick-tube.

ln trimming the ordinary flat or horizontal top wicks the scissors or shears, if not quite sharp, are liable to leave the wick with projecting ends at its angles, said result being due to the cutting action of the shears in cutting the wick at right angles.

If desired or necessary, the top of the wicktube E may be ot' double-rounded or scalloped form, as indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 3, the top of the cone around its orifice being curved to correspond in form to the top of the wick-tube. In this modification it will be seen that the angles ot' the horizontal wick are also avoided and a comparatively large burning-siul'ace of Wick obtained.

Having thus described my inventomwhat l claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. Having the durft-passage of the lamp divided into compartments by partition-plates b or b, so arranged as to prevent horizontal or lateral currents of' air through the draftpassage or burner below the flame7 substany 

